Chapter 32: The Simplest Form of Love

Times Square, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in He City, is situated in the most bustling part of the downtown district. The thirty-six-story building integrates a hotel, restaurants, entertainment venues, and department store trade, housing counters for almost every major retail brand in the world.

Although prices for items in the Times Square building are the highest in all of He City, business remains incredibly prosperous. In the minds of the wealthy, the shopping motto is always, "Buy only the expensive, not the right."

Yan Tian had naturally never visited such an expensive consumer venue before. However, this time he was acting as a bodyguard and manual laborer for five beauties on a shopping trip, so there was no need to worry about his own empty pockets or inability to afford the goods.

Yan Tian and his group of six arrived in two cars, heading straight for the Times Square building. By the time they reached the downtown complex, the expansive parking lot in front of the building was already packed solid. Business at Times Square was usually booming, and even more so on a holiday; it was no surprise to see so many people and cars. With no other choice, Leng Bingtong and Xia Tianling, who were driving, had to take their vehicles to the underground parking garage, where they were fortunate enough to find available spots.

Once parked, Leng Bingtong and the other three women rushed toward the retail counters. Gao Lan, not yet familiar with the others, stayed close to Yan Tian, linking her arm through his. They looked like a talented and beautiful couple, very well-matched.

While shopping was a great torment for Yan Tian, accompanying five beauties who were stunning enough to dominate any room certainly satisfied his vanity to a great extent.

The building was crowded today, and there were naturally many beauties present, but none could match the caliber of Leng Bingtong and her companions. Walking among the five, Yan Tian felt like the moon surrounded by stars, drawing the gaze of everyone wherever he went.

Basking in the baptism of countless lecherous, envious, jealous, hateful, and admiring stares, Yan Tian felt as if he were floating.

Men are creatures of face; a man without face feels as if every day is a year. Yan Tian now felt he had 100% face, even if that face was being bolstered for him by the five beauties at his side.

With his vanity greatly satisfied, Yan Tian had completely forgotten that he had been coerced by Leng Bingtong into acting as a pack mule for the shopping trip. Although his arms were increasingly burdened with bags and packages, he felt quite good, constantly greeting the fellow men who glared at him with gazes bordering on hostile jealousy with a restrained, polite smile.

From the first-floor cosmetics section to the second-floor jewelry department, it took Leng Bingtong and the others less than an hour and a half to select over 500,000 yuan worth of goods. Leng Bingtong paid for everything the four girls bought. Seeing her pull out a VIP card—a purple-gold card Yan Tian had never seen before—to settle the bill, he instinctively felt that if he could win over Leng Bingtong, he would never have to struggle for money again in this life.

Yan Tian firmly denied that he had any intentions of being a kept man.

He believed that with his current abilities, whether he became a hitman, fought in underground boxing matches, served as a bodyguard for national leaders, worked as an industrial spy for the country or large corporations, or opened a martial arts gym to train students, he could accumulate vast wealth in a short time regardless of the path he chose.

It was not that Yan Tian did not love money, but for him, he loved beauties even more.

Money could certainly knock over many low-level beauties, but in Yan Tian's eyes, any beauty who could be knocked over by money was not worth his attention.

Why? It was vulgar!

Women who pursued material wealth to the extreme and would sell themselves for money could not possibly have noble souls.

His pursuit was to win over a beauty who could knock *him* over with money.

Think about it: a penniless young man winning over a beauty with wealth rivaling a nation—what does that signify?

It signifies that the poor lad already possesses the skills of a legendary lover!

***

Therefore, Yan Tian did not place particular importance on making money. So what if one has wealth and power? Can money and power buy true love? What is obtained through money and power is often just flesh—souls stripped away, knowing nothing of love, like walking corpses.

A true master of romance disdains such shallow gains.

Gao Lan had not bought anything today. She leaned quietly against Yan Tian, like a happy little woman, linking his arm and even helping him carry the items bought by Leng Bingtong and the others.

Women are born with a desire for shopping. The reason Gao Lan had not bought anything was that she had not a single cent on her when she ran away from the Gao family. Yan Tian had followed her the entire way, so he naturally knew her situation. Watching her pretend to be indifferent while glancing at the items the others had bought, Yan Tian keenly caught the flicker of envy hidden deep in her eyes.

Taking Gao Lan by the hand, Yan Tian went to a necklace counter and chose a sterling silver one with a small crystal pendant. The craftsmanship was delicate, perfectly suited for a girl with a seemingly pure appearance. Although it cost only a little over a thousand yuan, for Yan Tian, it was a significant sum.

"Here, try it on and let me see," Yan Tian said, placing the necklace around Gao Lan's jade-like neck.

"Is this for Shi Kexin?" Gao Lan asked while adjusting the position of the necklace under his gaze.

"Hmm, it's beautiful... though it's a cheap item, it's all I can afford at this price," Yan Tian stepped back two paces, looking at the silver chain that complemented Gao Lan’s snow-white skin. The tiny crystal sparkled above her cleavage like a crystalline teardrop. "It looks very good, it suits you perfectly. Don't take it off; wear it. This is for you."

"For... me?" Gao Lan stopped her hand as she was about to take it off. She looked at Yan Tian, who was smiling gently at her, in disbelief. A warm feeling suddenly spread through her, as if the sun had touched every corner of her heart. The sensation was so comfortable it almost made her want to cry.

"What, don't you like it?" Yan Tian smiled, stepping forward to tuck a lock of her long hair behind her ear. "I know you were born into a wealthy family and have probably never looked twice at cheap goods like this. But this is all I can afford right now. If there's an opportunity in the future, I will replace the chain with platinum and the crystal with a diamond."

"No, I like it! I really like it!" Gao Lan lowered her head, stroking the crystal above her chest with excitement. Her eyes shimmered with crystal-clear light, and she barely managed to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Because of me, you lost everything," Yan Tian said softly, gently stroking her hair. "But please believe me, I will return everything that belongs to you."

Gao Lan wanted to say something, but she dared not open her mouth, fearing that if she did, she would break down in tears.

The most perfect lover is not someone who can give you anything, but someone who always knows what you need. Perhaps it is just a bowl of wontons by the roadside when you are hungry, or a coat taken off his own body, carrying his warmth, when you are cold. Perhaps it is a whispered word of love or a light kiss at parting, or perhaps it is a tiny hair clip worth less than five yuan that he brought back for you while away on business.

What could be more moving than care that is present at all times and in all places?

"Are you two finished yet?" Sun Shangxiang suddenly broke the atmosphere by tapping Yan Tian on the shoulder and saying loudly, "We're going to the womenswear department. I heard they have a new Italian mid-length coat, a work by the top Italian fashion designer Tinto Brass! It's a limited edition! We have to go and snap it up, or it'll be too late."

"Alright, let's go." Yan Tian smiled, took Gao Lan's hand, and joined Leng Bingtong and the others to head toward the elevator for the fourth-floor womenswear department.

"I will treasure this for the rest of my life," Gao Lan whispered into Yan Tian's ear.

"I will remember those words," Yan Tian smiled.

After stepping off the elevator, the four women in front of Yan Tian and Gao Lan suddenly stopped in their tracks. Their gazes were all fixed in one direction.

***

"Why did you stop suddenly?" Yan Tian asked. Just a moment ago, the four of them were rushing to grab clothes, and now they were all stunned. Could it be that they had discovered the clothes they wanted were already sold out?

"Arrogant..." Leng Bingtong muttered, seemingly at a loss.

"Incredible..." Xia Tianling’s tone sounded bewildered.

"To think there is such a man, how great!" Sun Shangxiang's voice sounded somewhat infatuated.

"...Scum," Gongsun Jing, who was usually quiet, said in a cold tone.

"What exactly is going on?" Yan Tian asked, feeling puzzled. He stepped forward, pushed past Leng Bingtong and Xia Tianling, took one look, and froze as well.

In the womenswear hall ahead, a total of fifteen stunning beauties in various outfits were surrounding a man who was over 1.8 meters tall. He wore a black Zhongshan suit, and his jet-black hair flowed down to his waist. They were speaking to him in soft, gentle tones.

Any one of those fifteen beauties was a peerless woman comparable to Shi Kexin or Leng Bingtong. They were pure, alluring, charming, noble, innocent, or elegant. Every one of them wore the most beautiful and appropriate smile, all of them gazing with immense affection at the man standing in their midst—a man like a god.

That’s right, he was a man like a god.

Yan Tian could only see his profile, but the noble temperament that did not belong to the human world made him seem as if he were a deity looking down upon all living beings.

The man was speaking, his voice soft and languid, as if he cared about nothing at all. "...Is that so? Is that Italian named Tinto really that impressive? Hmm, but there are only three of those coats he designed here. Who should I give them to? ...Even if there were fifteen, it wouldn't do. If you all wore the same style, it would be too monotonous and dull. How about this: let's go to Italy and find him? Let him design a few sets of clothes for each of you that best suit your individual styles."

Hearing this, Leng Bingtong muttered under her breath, "Too arrogant... Is the top Italian fashion designer someone he can just summon at will?"

"That's a great idea!" a woman who looked the most noble and elegant, as pure as a fairy from the heavens, said with a smile. "I also think we sisters shouldn't dress uniformly!"

"Then it's decided. You go choose your clothes now, consult with each other; I'm tired, I'll go sit over there." As the man said this, he turned to face Yan Tian.

"Ah..." "Oh...?" Leng Bingtong and the others cried out in unison. Even Yan Tian could not help but let out a soft exclamation.

The moment he saw the man's face, Yan Tian felt as if he were looking into a mirror, seeing another version of himself.